It's a multi-step process...

Like so many of us, our kids have trouble letting go of "stuff" once its outlived its usefulness. It's more pronounced for Amy, just because she has more stuff. She had another purge recently, of this stack of books - she wasn't ready to get rid of them, just didn't want them on her bookshelf anymore. So I bought her another underbed storage box (her third) to store them until she's ready to really let them go. We've also got another bin of her books in our office closet, awaiting their fate. (That bin has the Rainbow Fairy books that she loved so very much, but for a parent were soooo tedious to read [the two friends in the books didn't go to the same school but they were seemingly always on some kind of break so they could be together, and the stories themselves were pretty much the exact same in every single book [and there are dozens of them]. But boy, did she love those books!)

In the basement we've got a big container of stuffed animals that are in this same holding phase. I guess one day we'll get back to it and maybe then we'll cull the herd one more time and see how it goes.

If that's how it's gotta be

Amy asked for an Instagram account. Then she changed her mind. Then she changed her mind again a few weeks later. So she's now officially on social media of at least one type. She said she only wanted it so she can share her own art and comment on other people's art.

So this means that the only way we get to see the things Amy draws is to wait until she posts it for the world to see. I guess that's better than not getting to see it at all, which was the way it's been for quite a while now.

*Sniff* don't say that! *sniff*

A couple of weeks ago we were on our way home from the corn maze and passed by the spot where we've been waiting and waiting (and waiting) for a movie theater to be built in our neighborhood. He asked what the status was and we said it's super slow going and would probably be a couple of years at best before it opens. Reed said "With my luck, the theater won't be built until after I'm gone."

Guess things are getting closer to real, huh? Less than three years and Reed may be off at college, on his own.

Not even close to ready for that at this point. Others have said by the time their kids are ready to head off to college, they're really ready to see them go because they've become giant pains. I guess time will tell if that applies to us. Right now I'm just going to appreciate and enjoy our last few years having him at home.

Sixteen!

Today's the big day – Reed is 16!

Reed is a good kid with a kind heart. He still doesn't love school, but he does what he needs to do and gets mostly A's on his report cards without a ton of effort – he's like his Dad in that way. I didn't try much in high school and was a slightly above average student. He's got a great group of pals that he does online gaming with and hangs out in person with from time to time. He's really good with the little kids in our family and they just love him. He has a great sense of humor and makes us laugh all the time. He drives his sister batty, he is so skilled at pressing her buttons, it's crazy-making. He has gotten so much better about doing the chores he's assigned and thank goodness hasn't fought with us over them in a long time. He may grumble about it (especially on those back-to-back odd days that are his dishes day, or when it turns out that he's got to unload the dishwasher two times in a row) but he does it, and also does a pretty good job. 

He still won't get a haircut, which is totally fine by me. However his failure to comb his hair regularly led to me spending an hour plus a couple months ago un-ratting his hair which had become impossibly matted (NOT going to do that again, I've made that clear). I think he likes being a little different, having long hair, and long curly hair at that. He still doesn't care much about being "fashionable" and just sticks with blue jeans and comfy shirts – has no interest in brand names or what's "cool." Sometimes he doesn't match at all but he doesn't care. 

During the summer he made dinner for us pretty regularly (he was bored!) but now that's school's back in, not as much. I'm always grateful when he helps (in turn, we do the dishes if he's made dinner). He isn't much interested in getting his driver's license – he hasn't practiced in more than a month. When you prefer staying home, having a way to get out isn't top priority. Hopefully we can get back on track pretty soon so he can get his license when he's eligible in a few months.

Happiest surprise of all – he wanted books for his birthday! A big, boxed set of Stephen King Dark Tower books, to be specific. It's been years since he actually asked for any books so this made me incredibly happy.

Last month he decided, without asking, to host a big sleepover. Kinda told us about it after he'd already invited 8 people. He said he'd looked at our family schedule wall calendar and there was nothing on it so he figured it was okay. (I cleared that up for him...you gotta ask first next time!) Turns out six friends could make it (Robbie was there but didn't make it in this picture) and they had a great time, eating pizza and ice cream, staying up way too late....breaking our TV (oops). In the morning we had a big waffle breakfast too.

His annual birthday movie outing is this weekend – for the first time, I'll be the one taking him and five friends to see "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the Alamo Drafthouse (Tod will be out of town for school). Ought to be interesting!

Happy 16th, baby boy!

Goodbye, Pepperidge Place....

So it finally happened, after what I think a literally years-long process...Jim sold 105 Pepperidge Place. He will be living in Daytona Beach until sometime next summer when his Reston condo renter is out, then he'll go back and forth throughout the year.

Mom and Jim met when we lived at 602 South Concord Court and Jim lived across the street. They married in June 1981 and we moved to Pepperidge Place, which was a two or three year old house at the time. Gravel driveway, unfinished basement (that it STILL has). We had many good family times in that house. We had a lot of loud music in that house -- some from behind closed bedroom doors (Billy Squier and Tom Petty for Jennifer, Triumph and Def Leppard for me), some from downstairs (Travis Tritt, Patty Loveless for Mom). One time, my friend Tracey Bowers and I walked way down Crestview Drive to the 7-11 (it was a busy road - so dumb!) to use her fake ID to buy a single 4-pack of Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers, walk all the way back to my house, drink them in secret and stash the bottles in my closet until I could get rid of them. We had our dog Buffy, then we had Corky. We always knew that Mom 'hid' the Christmas presents in her closet, and I know I peeked more than once. Somehow Jennifer had to mow the grass as a teenager, but I never had to (what's up with that?). Jennifer went off to college, I made a brief stop at college myself, then an ill-advised marriage. Jennifer got married too, and we both got divorces (at different times) and were welcomed back home again with open arms - my dog C.J. too. We watched our Mom become the amazing grandmother we always knew she would be, and Jim grow into his grandfather role too. Aly logged a ton of time there in the first several years of her life, and had so many special moments with Mom during sleepovers. She had to nearly be dragged out when it was time to go. We had many cookie days where we made way too many treats. It was a warm, comfortable home, and Mom loved it.

For me, and I know for Wanda too, the house became a sad reminder of my Mom after she died there. I think it was what she wanted, to live her last days in her own home (though honestly, we unfortunately never had those important conversations), but it was so hard for everyone. Because of that, letting go of the house was maybe a little bit of a relief, and less sad than it otherwise would have been.

Amy was only 5 when Mom died, and Mom had really been 'gone' for the last six months of her life. But still, saying goodbye to the house made Amy a bit sad. She remembers the few sleepovers they had with Mom, but mostly she remembered that whenever we left from a visit, Mom always stood outside to wave goodbye, not going back into the house until we were out of sight. I'm so glad that Amy has that memory.

We got together one last time to raise a glass to our home after 27 years. Here's to bigger and better things for Jim.

We ought to just buy a cow

These are definitely Larson children when it comes to drinking milk. We go through at least three, frequently four, gallons of milk every week. It's crazy. A lot of it is from multiple bowls of cereal each morning, but boy do these kids like to also drink milk. Not me, not my thing at all and it totally grosses me out. Tod grew up drinking a big glass of milk with meals, but I'm not sure what in the world we drank growing up!

Maybe if we got a cow, it could keep the yard down and also keep me from going to the grocery store for milk mid-week to stock back up! :)

Back to school!

Summer went by quickly! We had our traditional night before school starts breakfast for dinner with grade pancakes (we forgot to make name pancakes this year - oops!). Aly even joined us, and we decided she's in 14th grade and Tod is in 20th. 

And here they are on their way to school! Hope they both have great years!